He Had Loved
by E.NorthernFreely
Summary: Jasper's past before vampirism is a mystery for the most part. He had loved. Until now, he doesn't know what happened to his past love or what could've come of it.
1. Authors Letter

Hi, this is the first time i've written anything in around five years so go gentle. I'd really appreciate feedback on my work as this site is mainly used for practise at the moment until i feel able to make my own unique works like i used to in the past. I'm starting a completely clean slate here.

Reviews and private messages are extremely welcome and i'll probably get a twitter to keep up with everything too. I'm really sorry that the first chapter is an authors letter. I thought it best to get this out of the way so the rest of the chapters can hopefully be a clear read. I will probably update this if theres any news etc.

Thanks, E


	2. Prologue Part 1

Eyes, pools of blue the depth of the unexplored oceans. Hair, a sun kissed waterfall of gold with copper shades expertly woven between locks as though they were undiscovered treasures. Skin, dotted with freckles, which became denser in the areas that caught the most sun. She was the most beautiful woman Major Jasper Whitlock had ever laid eyes on. Granted, the youngest Major in the state hadn't spared much of a glance at women as they passed by him. He concentrated on climbing the ranks in the military.

Della. Her name was Della. He once heard her speaking to a shopkeeper while he rode by on his steed. It was a fond memory.

"Good Morning, Ernest" Della beamed brightly at the older man as he reached to stock the top shelves, his grasp shaky with his age.

Ernest turned quickly, shock evident on his face. Ernest was a father figure to those who knew him in Houston. He was a very tanned individual, after spending many an afternoon in the sun, with an accent than no one had ever been able to place. His brown eyes glistened whenever he spoke about his family or work. He spent his spare hours writing up research he had collected into worn journals.

He smiled warmly when he saw the young woman approach.

"Mornin', Della, Dear." She carefully placed a blue, leather bound book on the table in front of him. It had a couple of pages missing and many unexplainable stains throughout.

"I just came to return this. It was a very interesting read." She glanced at the floor as she said this, uncomfortable with social interactions yet still wanting to converse with the man.

"Thank you, dear" He paused briefly, contemplating what to say next. "What did you think about my… later theories?"

The young woman flushed under his gaze. "You mean the undead sirens? Well it was a very interesting idea, although, not much evidence to prove the theory to be reality just yet, Ernest."

"I thought you would say that." Ernest sighed, turning away to restock the lower shelves.

Their conversation continued while Jasper tied up his horse to drink. He listened intently to the pair and found the theories they discussed strange but extremely interesting. He had never heard anything like it before. Undead sirens? He supposed that meant they attract men and use them for their own gains… or even kill them? That thought, he wasn't too sure about. It was interesting nonetheless.

As the conversation was finishing, Jasper leant against the wall of the shop, acting as casual as possible even though he was extremely guilty of listening in.

Della left with a friendly wave, now carrying an emerald green leather journal, in the same worn condition as the blue one she returned.

"Good Morning, Sir" She smiled brightly at the Major as she noticed him and carried on with her day.

He watched her leave, his face now a pale shade of pink and sweat beginning to bead on his forehead, due to the late morning heat of course.

Jasper smiled to himself at the memory. He was sure this girl had been destined as the love of his life. She gave him the feeling of love like no other woman could ever give him. Her beauty surpassed that of anyone else in his eyes. She was perfect.

The time they met properly and became friends was another fond memory. There had been a birthday celebration for Ernest that everyone who knew and cared about him attended. Jasper had been invited personally by the man as a guest for his service to the people and military.

It was upon arrival that he saw Della, in all her glory, dressed in the most beautiful purple silk gown, covering most of her skin as was appropriate. She smiled and conversed freely with the townspeople, ruffling the brown hair of a young boy who looked to be around nine and was clearly going through a growth spurt.

As she glanced up and saw Jasper standing awkwardly around the edge of the gathering, she chose to converse with the young Major. She sidled her way through the crowd gracefully, her course clear in mind.

"Major Whitlock, it's lovely to see you" She smiled shyly, her previous confidence disappearing now she was in his presence.

"It's a pleasure, Miss Flores" He wanted to chuckle at her nervous demeanor but chose not to embarrass the young girl further. They stood together in a comfortable silence, watching the events of the celebration unfold.

As the night grew on, the two spoke about their lives, hobbies and family. Della quickly realized that the Major was a slave to the military; however, this couldn't possibly put her off. She was in too deep at this point. Over the course of the night, she knew her feelings for the Major were significant enough to speak to him many times more and make the effort to do so.

Jasper learned quickly that Della had no significant family, choosing to adopt the morals and values of Ernest and his family. He hadn't before realized how close Della and Ernest really were. Although, you can't learn too much about a person from rare glances, smiles and polite greetings. Jasper had always kept a distance from the young girl until now.


	3. Prologue Part 2

Jasper sighed as he thought about Della. The girl had been so innocent and sweet. She valued tradition which meant when the Major plucked up the courage to ask Della out, he needed permission from her father figure, Ernest. Of course, Ernest was over the moon. Why wouldn't he be? Jasper was a handsome, brave, kind soul with so much empathy that took over his entire being at times. He had a great position in the military that gave him power and in turn meant his daughter figure would be safe and well for the rest of her life.

Their first official outing as a couple consisted of a well-planned picnic, the area they occupied only accessible by horseback. Della had never ridden a horse despite living in Texas all her life. It was a scary thought; being up so high and able to fall if she lost concentration for even a second. The Major sensed apprehension as soon as they approached his steed.

"Miss, excuse me for being forward but if it clears your mind…" He hesitated, mentally working out how to word his next sentence. "Miss- Della, you should sit at the front so I can ensure your safety for the journey." He looked at her sincerely as he said this to show he cared deeply for her safety and concerns.

Della gazed at Jasper through her blonde eyelashes, her eyes glazed over and a faint frown adorned on her features. She nodded, a hesitant smile on her lips as she approached his steed carefully, stroking his neck as she passed. The Major held out a hand to grasp hers gently and help her on the horse with as little problem as possible. When he was sure she was situated and not moving anywhere, he climbed on behind her and encouraged the horse to trot gently towards their destination.

Lush green grass wasn't common around the couple's part of Texas so a picnic seemed abnormal. However, the Major had everything planned the way he wanted it. He placed a worn blanket on the dusty ground with dry grasses all around. A couple of strangely shaped, mostly dead trees graced the humid landscape and in the distance were some fire-red hills that went for miles, each one unique in height and shape, containing the same nature as everywhere else in the area.

Jasper had mostly packed fresh fruit for the outing, as he wasn't overly sure what foods Della would appreciate. As soon as the couple sat down, Della bit into a shiny red apple, gazing at the scenery around her.

Silences were always comfortable with the couple with the odd sentence hanging in the air now and again as they relaxed in the open, taking in the world around them. They both couldn't believe how lucky they were to live in such a unique and beautiful place and having the perfect person to share the experience with; each other.

They spent the time talking about the same things they had before mentioned but in much more elaborate detail, Jasper finding out that Della was only 16 while he himself was 18. Age had never occurred to him before. He had already fallen for the girl and considered it too late to think of the age difference. For her young age, she was considered mature enough to have a partner and begin courting. Ernest didn't have a problem so why should the Major?

As the sun began to set over the horizon, Jasper and Della lay quietly and relaxed, watching the sky above them darken, Della humming to herself. The fast approaching night unnerved the Major, as he knew it was a more dangerous time to ride back. His mind was entirely on the safety of Della. Failing to hide the emotion, the Major frowned.

Sensing distress from the man laying beside her she glanced over briefly, noticing the deep frown gracing his features. She moved to lie on her side, a soft hand resting gently on his cheek, forcing him to look her in the eyes.

Those eyes. The eyes that were filled with such emotion and really were windows to her very soul. The Major was weak against those eyes.

There was chemistry between them, no denying that. Jasper leant in slowly, making sure to look for any signs of rejection from the younger girl to which he found none. Their lips touched barely and all too soon it was over. The night was overshadowing the couple and the light of fireflies was the only sign of life around.

Jasper stood up and got his steed ready to take Della home. He held out a hand to help the young girl up and didn't let go until she was situated on the horse. He let the horse walk them back, not wanting the night to end. Della was leaning back against him, struggling to keep her eyes open. Upon arrival at her home, he carried her to the door before waking her gently so she could go inside.

Jasper felt a deep connection with this girl. The outing couldn't have gone any better to him. It had been simple but allowed him to get to know the girl better than he knew even his own relatives. He hoped for a real relationship with Della and knew she was the person he wanted to marry someday.


	4. Prologue Part 3

The couple courted for a year, now officially a couple publicly. Anyone could see they were clearly smitten with one another. It came time for their relationship to progress, naturally, so the Major asked Ernest for permission to marry Della, the love of his life. He remembered the time, emotions, thoughts, everything. He could place all the details like it happened just yesterday.

Jasper approached the older mans shop, sweat beginning to form in droplets on his forehead, which he put down to the heat outside. Nerves bubbled inside the Major.

"Good Morning, Sir" Jasper smiled warmly at Ernest as the older man stood up from stocking the lower shelves.

"Jasper, my boy! I have told you many a time to call me Ernest!" He feigned a slap in the air before turning back around to his duties. "What can I do for you?" He asked, his back to the Major to hide the faint frown on his face.

"Sir- Ernest, I would very much like to request your blessing to ask Della's hand in marriage. I thought, as her acting father figure, it best to ask your permission" The Major stood as confidently as he could, taking his military stance even though he knew Ernest wasn't looking. His facial features stoic and hardened due to the mindset the military had forced upon him.

"No." Ernest turned, his face sullen.

This caught the Major by surprise. "What?" He asked, shock evident on his face. His confidence dissipated instantly as Ernest spoke.

"You heard me and I will not tell you again."

As people started to wander into the shop, Jasper flushed. He was a mixture of nerves and anger at this point, seconds from an outburst at the older man. Ernest had no right to treat the Major this way. After all that Jasper had done for him, his family and Della?

Sensing the anger bubbling inside Jasper at a dangerously rapid pace, Ernest collared the Major into the back room, leaving his shop unattended.

"Listen here boy-" Ernest began but Jasper was too far gone.

"With all due respect Ernest, Della and I are meant to be together. I feel like she is expecting an engagement and I have every intention of giving her that, whether I have your blessing or not" It was a miracle that Jasper kept his cool even with the anger threatening him from the inside. It was very much replaced by shock and confusion when Ernest began to smile and chuckle to himself.

"That's my boy… that's what I was waiting for" It turned into a belly laugh now, turning heads of the people in the shop and causing Jasper to frown due to the unwanted attention.

"I don't understand…" the Majors voice was a mere whisper now, an attempt to minimize the attention of others on them.

Ernest moved to sit in a near by chair. A chair made from dark wood, clearly at the last of its days, an attempt to cushion it had been made, however, the fabric was ripped and stained with unknown substances.

"Jasper, for my daughter- for Della, I want a man who isn't afraid to show emotions. Someone who isn't afraid to show what he wants and craves. I want you to love her eternally and show the world that you do. Only when you can do that will you have my blessing." Ernest had the warmest of smiles on his face now. Each word he spoke came full of emotion and sincerity. Tears prickled in the older mans eyes, however, they weren't threatening to fall just yet. It showed he cared about the future Della was going to have, the life she was going to lead and who would be by her side eternally to fulfill all of her dreams and wishes.

At this moment, Jasper knew the type of man he wanted to be. He wanted to be the man that could broadcast his emotions with barely a word. The man who could comfort, love and cherish Della the way he was meant to. He wanted to be like Ernest.

Ernest quickly welcomed Jasper to the family and although he was at a very old age and was losing control of his body, he was determined to walk Della down the aisle and give her the wedding she deserved. His daily activities like stacking shelves and even walking were beginning to lack luster. He shook constantly these days and it worried the whole town that their human treasure was just that; human.

Not long after the couple announced their engagement to the rest of the town, Ernest passed away suddenly. His dream to walk Della down the aisle was shattered and it only served to bring the young woman to tears. Not only had she lost one family but her father figure had gone at the happiest time of her life.

The couple planned an extravagant funeral for the shopkeeper. The townspeople who knew him and considered him extended family mourned openly in the streets. White and red rose petals scattered all around his shop and across the town. Donations were made to help with the cost, not that it mattered with the Majors career. Ernest was given the most expensive of everything, no less than he deserved. His coffin was a polished mahogany with solid gold trim, engraved with messages of love from his closest relatives.

The church was packed and townspeople lined the streets as the procession walked solemnly holding his coffin up high. Jasper was one of the men helping to carry the coffin, the others being Ernest's only son, his younger brother and a young boy that helped in the shop on weekends. Ernest had always been fond of the younger generation that wanted to help in the town and had offered this boy a job straight out of education. They became fast friends and like Della, Ernest saw him as one of his own children.

Della followed closely behind the coffin, carrying as many daisies as her arms could hold. She was trying not to cry but every few minutes, a lone tear would trickle down her stained cheeks.

Jasper was being brave for Della. He cared for the older man and was welled up with emotion but couldn't bring himself to cry. He knew that Della was family to him and he didn't feel entitled to feel how he was feeling.


End file.
